1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to electrical connector, and more particularly to a connector having an electrical device carried thereon.
2. Description of Related Art
Electrical connectors are typically used to couple PCB (Printed Circuit Board) which have numerous electrical devices. Some electrical connectors have a mating end wherein conductive terminals are exposed for engagement with the terminals of a mating connector. When mating the connectors, opposite charges at the connector interface may result in an Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) between the two connectors. In fact, electrostatic discharges can be generated simply by a person approaching or touching the connector interface or touching the terminal contacts. As known, when the ambient relative humidity drops to fifty percent or below, the human body accumulates a large number of electrical charges which can be in excess of 20,000 volts. Generally, very little current is associated with an electrostatic discharge; however, the voltage can be high enough to damage or destroy certain types of electrical devices such as semiconductor devices. Consequently, when the connector contacts or terminals are electrically associated with such devices on a circuit board, the electrostatic discharge may damage or destroy the electrical devices on the circuit board.
In order to alleviate the electrostatic discharge problem, some electrical connectors include features to provide ESD protection. In at least some connectors, ESD protection is provided with a shield in the form of a plate, bar, or the like located proximate the connector interface and connected to ground on or proximate the connector. In the same time, the circuit boards which the connectors mounted also provide ESD protection such as IC (Integral Circuit) to prevent the damage of the ESD. Nowadays, there is a trend that computers and handset devices such as mobile phones, digital cameras, MP3, PDA are need to provide more and more functions. Accordingly, the input/output connectors of above systems are increased which can result in the ESD entering the systems and destroying the electrical devices on the circuit board more frequently. Furthermore, with the addition of characteristics and the integration of functions, the designs of the PCB and the IC mounted thereon become sensitive about the ESD. Therefore, the ESD protections disposed on the circuit board not only occupy space thereof but also increases the complexity of the circuit board.
Hence, it is desired a connector can integrate the ESD protection therein instead of the PCB.